Happy Endings Aren't Easy
by ullrmad
Summary: Veronica is thrust into the past where all her dead classmates are alive and she's very confused. When given a strange hourglass and instructions on how to save her friends, she decides to try her best to fix her past mistakes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! This is my first story ever on this site, so I apologize if it sucks. Hopefully it won't. I feel like I need to preface this story before you begin, so please read this. I was reading Heathers fanfiction on Archive of Our Own, and came across one that intrigued me, but it was never finished. The ship was not to ship I prefer, as it was Chansaw (Chandler/Veronica) and I like Jdronica(JD/Veronica). Yeah, yeah, I'm trash whatever I know. Anyway, the first chapter is directly copied and pasted from that fanfiction, and I give all credit of the first chapter and this idea to the original author xPenguinQueenx. The original story is not hard to find, I kept the same title. A huge thanks to friend for editing this for me!This fic is strictly musical based, and I will be pulling nothing from the movie. I do not own any of the characters or Heathers. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy! :) EDIT: Okay, I've gotten a review from the original author, and I want to apologize. I should have asked before I used they're story. I'm so sorry, I feel terrible! They are not making me take this down, and for that I am extremely grateful. I can basically credit this entire story to xPenguinQueenX. I never would have been able to think of this on my own. I've now learned the story is ongoing, and you can easily find it as mentioned above. It's probably better that this one! Ok, sorry that was so long**

"-ronica? Veronica, wake up!" The voice draws me to consciousness, but I don't open my eyes. There's only four people who come to check on me at home and I don't think I can see any of them today. Considering the loudness of the voice, it can't be McNamara or Martha, and its certainly female which rules out my father. That leaves my mother…. But it doesn't sound like my mother. Actually, it sounds like… nooo not today. Kurt and Ram wouldn't leave last night so I barely slept. I was hoping to at least have a quiet morning.

"What do you want, Heather?" I raise my gaze to meet her hardened one. And it's in that moment that I realize I am not in bed, nor am I at home. I'm sitting in the school cafeteria with Heather, Heather, and, Heather. But an alive Heather? What the hell is going on?

"I'll excuse your tone since it's obvious you're out of it today, _Ronnie_." Chandler hisses the nickname as if it's supposed to offend me in some way. She raises her eyebrow as if waiting for a response from me and I can only sit there in silence because what am I supposed to say to a girl that I vividly remember accidentally killing and being haunted by suddenly standing VERY MUCH ALIVE in front of me. Duke scoffs in my direction, muttering a soft, "fucking loser." Low enough for only my ears to hear. And possibly McNamara's as well considering the small frown on her face that appears.

I start to stutter out a reply only to be saved by a clattering in the distance.

"Why don't you pick that up, nerd?" an obnoxious, but very familiar voice is heard, followed by an equally recognizable laugh. A boy leans down to pick up his fallen tray and I see them both.

Shit. Did I die in my sleep last night? Is this hell? What is going on?

"I'm sorry, Heather." I say, standing rather abruptly, "I'm not feeling well. I-I'll be back."

I cross the cafeteria, thankful that all eyes are on Kurt, Ram, and the poor kid they've claimed their victim of the day. Except for the Heathers I'm assuming who are most likely watching me, but I don't dare look back. Instead I march down the hallway, making my way to the girl's bathroom, because I really was telling Chandler the truth when I said I wasn't feeling well. Seeing the dead suddenly alive will make you strangely sick to your stomach. I'm nearly there when I bump into someone.

"Sorry," I rush out, trying to move towards the bathroom once again.

"No worries," comes the smooth reply stopping me in my tracks. I turn, already knowing who will be standing there. And it's him. It doesn't make sense because I watched him die, but he's standing right here.

"Can I ask you a dumb question?" I ask him before he can leave.

His eyebrows rise, whether in amusement or surprise that I'm still talking to him, I'm not sure," there are no dumb questions." He then gives me a nod as if to say _go on._

I contemplate the situation for a moment before continuing, "do you know who I am?"

He chuckles a little, spurting out a, "of course!" My eyes light up in relief. Sure, I don't necessarily trust JD anymore, but I'll take any information he can give me, "everyone knows the newest Heather. You, Veronica Sawyer, are important here. Although, I don't really know why you're still called the Heathers if your name isn't Heather."

Any hope I had was lost the longer I listened to him. I have no idea what's going on and the only person I thought that might be able to help me has no idea what's going on. Maybe I really am in hell. Forced to relive high school and be face to face with the people I killed every day.

"Right, thanks, JD." His mouth opens a little and this time it's definitely surprise on his face.

"Wait, how do you know _my_ name?" He says with slight suspicion, but mostly intrigue.

We fell in love and you killed my friends, is what is at the edge of my mind, but unless I want to be sent off to the psych ward then that should stay inside, "You're the new kid," is what comes out of my mouth instead. I shrug my shoulders in what I hope looks nonchalant.

He nods, accepting my answer, and waves a goodbye, "It was nice meeting you, Veronica Sawyer." Not offering a goodbye of my own, I forcefully open the bathroom door and slide inside, making sure to stop and lock it behind me. I step up to one of the sinks, staring at my reflection. I look like the girl before the bomb and the sleepless nights. None of the marks from JD's bomb are there and the bags under my eyes are gone.

"Perhaps you would like me to explain?"

I turn to find someone in the stall that I had once deemed Duke's 'vomit stall'. I'm not entirely surprised I missed someone with how I rushed in here, but I could have sworn it was just me in the room," what?"

The person steps out and I can't help but stare. They're beautiful, but something screams danger. No, not danger. Power. They are in a robe coving most of their body, but their face is on display. They have dark, sad eyes, but light, gray hair that seems to shine. Their mouth is set in a thin line.

"I've been trying to find a way for you to fix all of this for quite a while now. I figured the only way to do that in the end would be if I sent you back to the start. This is not how your story was supposed to go, Veronica," They stop for a moment, pulling something out of their robe. It's…an hourglass. They try to hand it to me. Only for me to step away from the stranger, visibly freaked out at this point, "Veronica, please calm down. You saw them all out there did you not?"

Are they talking about Chandler? And Kurt and Ram? And JD?

"They're supposed to be dead." I tell them, assuming they know what's going on. They must.

They nod, "They were dead. But that's all in the future. It's a future you can stop if you would like the chance." They shove the hourglass towards me once more and this time I take it with shaky hands. I think I understand what this person is trying to tell me, but that's…. impossible, isn't it? But so is dead people coming back to life. I could have also dreamed all of it, but then how would this person know about everything?

"So," I start, swallowing a lump in my throat," I'm in the past right now?" I look to this mysterious individual for confirmation and they nod at me,' and you want me to, What? Fix everything I messed up? Do the right thing?

They stare at me for an unnerving moment, expression never changing with dark eyes boring into mine. Finally, they respond, "I'm not sure I care about right or wrong." This takes me off guard. Aren't most stories about the time traveler supposed to be about them being a hero that sacrifices happiness for others or something along those lines?

"What's the point of sending me back then?" I can't help but think that there is a catch somewhere. This stranger wouldn't just send me back for no reason.

This time there is no hesitation before they respond," I see everything and everyone. Humans live short and meaningless lives and I don't notice most. You however... have given me great entertainment. I was sad to see that things ended the way they did. Think of this as a gift from me. A…. Thank you…. If you will."

I sit in shock for a moment. This stranger finally admitted what I suspected from the beginning. They are not human," Who are you?"

They hum for a moment before letting out a short huff, "You're smart, I was hoping you would figure it out yourself." They nod pointedly towards me and it takes me a moment to realize that it isn't me, but the hourglass that's being pointed towards.

I furrow my brows in thought. Hourglass, future, past," Time?" I question them, looking back up, "You're time?"

They hum again. But this time it seems almost as if they're praising me," I'm giving you a chance to fix things because you have become my favorite human to come into existence in the past couple hundred years. But," They stop, looking serious and it scares me for a moment, "you will have one chance only. I won't give you another. I don't give gifts often so make good on this one."

I'm still incredibly overwhelmed and still not completely sure this is happening, but I manage to let out a small thank you, but then I remember the hourglass in my hands, "Wait, what's this for?" I raise the hourglass toward them in a questioning manner.

"That, Veronica, has two purposes. The first, is merely to summon me if you need me. I will be around if you ever have questions or need advice about this universe or the people in it."

"And the second?"

Time stops once again, motioning towards the hourglass. I glance down to find a piece of sand falling from the top to the bottom, "It will count down to the possible death of one of your friends."

I feel my body go cold at the words.

"So, I just keep JD away from Chandler, right? And then the first death will be avoided?"

Time shakes his head sadly at me, "I never said Heather Chandler would be the first possible death. You've already altered this world by meeting Jason Dean early. There is no telling who the first possible death will be now."

A bell rings and Time decides it is their time to depart, "I will be around, Veronica. For now, try to be happy."

Well…. Shit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **A/N: So I literally just published the first chapter of this but I want to write more, even though I know nobody has seen this yet. Sorry if it's a writing style switch! I hope this doesn't suck but I'm not sure tbh. Any sort of feedback is appreciated! I don't know how many more chapters I plan on writing within these next two days, so anything could happen! Also this is really short, it felt longer when I was writing it, my apologies. Enjoy!**

 _What am I going to do?_ I thought frantically, alone in the bathroom. I decided I wasn't going to the rest of my classes that day, I was skipping and going home to think this over. My mind reeled as I walked out of the school. I had just talked with the literal embodiment of TIME. How was that even possible? I have a second chance, a chance to make this all right. But now I didn't know who the death was going to be, and I had to stop it. My mind drifted to JD without my realizing it. He was alive. He didn't want to kill anyone. At least not yet. I began to cry, overwhelmed by everything that was happening. I had another shot. And this time I wasn't fucking it up.

As I walked home, I recalled all the events that were going to happen and their effects. Time said I hadn't meet JD yet, and looking at the date tells me tomorrow is the fateful homecoming party. Everything is such a blur it is difficult to remember the details, it all went downhill in the span of less than two weeks.

I make it home in a daze and lie down in my bed.

I must've fallen asleep, because I woke up in my bed, and it was 8:30. My mascara had crusted onto my face in ugly lines. I checked my phone. I had 8 missed calls from the Heathers. I decided I might as well call them and clear things up. The phone only rang once before Chandler picked up.

"Fucking finally! Veronica, where have you been! You ditched us a lunch and never came back. What were you-"

"Heather," I interrupted her, "I threw up, and I must've fallen asleep right when I got home. I'm sorry." She grunted.

"You better be! You know what, you're making up for this tomorrow. You're coming to Ram's homecoming party, sick or not! And you better be at school!" I heard some muffled speech through the phone. "Shut up Heather!" Chandler screamed right before hanging up on me. I sighed. I decided to write in my diary, as I always used that to relax.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Shit is going down. My entries from here are missing because this is the fucking past. Time told me that_ _this is my second chance, a way to make things right. I have to stop everyone from dying, and the hourglass time gave me is counting down to the first death. God, what am I supposed to do?_


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning I wake up to the sound of my alarm. For a few blissful seconds, I think it's a normal day. And then the events of yesterday hit me like a brick. My head starts to ache. I drag myself out of bed and grab a random blue top and gray skirt and throw them on. I brush my hair and apply the makeup required to be a Heather, watching myself in the mirror as I do. Today's the day. Ram's big party.

When I get to my first class, Heather McNamara is there, in her usual desk, right next to mine. When I sit down, she says,

"Hey Veronica, Are you feeling better?" She seems genuinely concerned, and for the hundredth time in my life I wish she hadn't gotten trapped in the Heathers.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better actually, it must have been something I ate." Just then, the bell rang and we all pretended to pay attention to the boring teacher in front of us.

I sat through my classes until lunch. And as I expected, there he was...

"You shouldn't have bowed down to the swash dogs and diet coke heads, they're going to crush that girl."

"Don't quote baudelaire at me and just walk away!" I said to him.

"Why not?" He smirked at me, and walked away. Kurt walked up to him and said something, then Ram walked over too and joined in. JD slammed his book shut. I could see JD keeping his cool and mouthing them off, but he must have crossed the line because I could hear Kurt tell Ram to hold JD's arms.

In a flash, Ram roughly held JD while Kurt went in for a punch to the face. JD brought up his book with both hands and blocked his punch and swung it again to smack him out of the way and successfully knocking him down. He spun around, and smacked Ram down as well. Someone whispered

"Holy shit!" I watched, and couldn't help feeling pulled toward him, even more so than I had the first time I witnessed this. God damnit! He tried to blow up the damn school, and I still couldn't get him out of my head.

By the time Ram was knocked down, Kurt was back up again and running toward him. JD kicked him in the balls, spun around and delivered a knock-out punch to Ram (who was back on his feet) in the face. Kurt decided he still wasn't done with his beating and tries once again to punch JD, but fails. JD grabs Kurt's neck and slams their heads together three times before letting him go. Kurt falls down to the ground.

I look around in obvious De-ja-vu. I am once again surprised on how the fight went without a single adult though I'd met him early, things were still playing out relatively the same.

Heather dragged me away and lectured me about how I was "throwing my panties" at that new kid. I just tuned her out and answered with a simple "yeah" or "okay".

We were at the 7/11 and I already knew that Heather wanted BBQ corn nuts. It wasn't a party without the damn corn nuts! Of course, I knew he was going to be there, but I still wasn't prepared for him to take my breath away the moment he spoke.

"Greetings and Salutations." I whipped around. "Want a slurpee with that?" I knew what I was meant to say.

"No, but I'll let you buy me a big gulp if you're nice."

"That's like going to Mickey D's and ordering a salad!' He exclaimed, "Did you say cherry or lime?"

"I said big gulp." I couldn't help but stare at his curls. Jesus, I wanted my hands in them right now. "That thing you pulled in the caf. was pretty extreme."

"The extreme always seemed to make an impression." JD smirked, and I almost melted right then and there. That cocky little smirk was all it took, and I was gone.

"So what's a baudelaire quoting badass like you doing in Sherwood, Ohio?"

"My Dad's work. He owns a deconstrusction company."

"De-construction?"

"The old man seems to enjoy tearing things down. Have you seen the commercial? ' _My name's Big Bud Dean, if it's in the way I'll make you're day!_ "

"And he pushes the plunger and the screen blows up! That's your dad?" Of course, I already knew the answer was yes, and that his Dad was a terrible person, but I wasn't supposed to know yet. A honk from outside ended our conversation early, followed by Heather C. screaming my name.

"I don't really like my friends." I said frowning.

"I don't like your friends either. Bag the party! Stay here." I thought for a moment about what I should do. I wanted to stay with him. Would that ruin everything? I couldn't do it without majorly pissing Heather off. But, if JD had nothing to do with Heather, then no more murders would happen. No bomb would be built. A huge smile spread across my face.

"Ok." I answered. He smirked, and I wanted to kiss him then and there, but I figured that was to forward. I mean, not as forward as I was after the party, but I was drunk, so that was different. Heather C. sashayed into the store.

"Veronica! Wave bye, bye to Red Dawn here and let's motor!" She complained.

"No." I simply said. A look of shock crossed her face.

"Excuse me?"

"We gave it a shot, i'm resigning from my position in the lip gloss gestapo. I'm going back to civilian life. "

"No," she said outraged. "You don't get to be a nobody. Come monday, your gonna be a somebody. Not even the losers will touch you now. Transfer to Washington, transfer to Jefferson, nobody at Westerberg is going to let you play their reindeer games!" As she was speaking she strode forward and finished her speech by soving me to the ground. JD stepped up and the sight of him riled her up more. She screamed in frustration. "I raised you up from nothing! And that's the thanks I get?" She glared. "I will crucify you." she whispered threateningly in my ear as she stormed past, snatching her corn nuts.

I stood up and brushed myself off. JD looked amazed but what had just unfolded in front of him. I felt a blush run to my cheeks. He looked like he was trying to say something but couldn't figure out what to say. This was the first time I had ever seen him truly speechless, and it was so freaking hot. JD, usually charming and witty, never at a loss for words, was speechless. I shrugged and simply said,

"The extreme always seemed to make an impression."


	4. Chapter 4

We ended up just heading back to his place. He opened his front door and peered in, nervous. I'm not sure I would have noticed how nervous he was if I hadn't known about his father. I decided to ask him about the slurpies. That way I wouldn't say something I wasn't supposed to know. As we walked to his living room I asked,

"Why do you like 7/11's so much?"

"Well, with my dad's work we're always moving around. All the different high schools get blurry. I don't learn names or faces, cause I'll be gone within a month. But, one things I can trust is that each town has a 7/11, with a slurpee machine. I like the way they give you brain freezes. When slurpees can numb you, who needs cocaine?" He jokes.

"Does your Mom know your eating all that crap?" I ask accordingly.

"Not anymore. When my mom was alive, we lived halfway normal. But now it's just me and my dad. I've learned to manage things, pay rent, cook pasta, the whole shebang. And I can see it now, you'll go to some college, marry a lawyer. Well I don't stand a chance at doing that. So I… freeze my brain." He pauses, knowing he's overshared. "What movie do you wanna watch?" I choose some dumb action movie, and he starts it. He sits on the couch next to me, giving me space to be respectful. As hard as I try, I end up looking at him more than I watch the movie. Once he glances over, and smirks. I basically swoon. What am I doing? How could I still love him after all he'd done? Maybe… Maybe it was because he hadn't done it yet. My gaze started at his hair, and down to his gorgeous speckled eyes. Freckles dotted his face, in a way that mesmerized me. I stare for a while, and then realize it's creepy and try to focus back on the movie. Some guy is getting his ass kicked.

"Veronica?" He startles me by saying my name.

"Yeah?"

"Are you even paying attention to the movie?" He asks, and my cheeks go red.

"Um, yeah of course." I sputter out in reply.

"Oh yeah, then what's going on right now?"

"Um, that guy is killing the other guy? Because he's… evil?" It comes out more like a question than I intended it to, and he smirks.

"The ones on screen are both good guys." He says, knowing he's caught me.

"Oh, I uh, knew that. I just-"I begin to ramble but he cuts me off with a kiss.

 **A/N: Ok I'm switching to 3rd person here because I feel like it works better. Just roll with it ok.**

She wasn't sure if this was a mistake, but in that moment she didn't care. She melted into him, like she always did. The kiss was intoxicating. The fact that she could kiss him, that he was alive, makes her want to cry, but she doesn't think that's appropriate considering the circumstances. She hungered for him, wanted to devour him.

JD had been thinking about this since he'd first met her. He figured she would reject him, she was popular and amazing, and he was… a trench coat wearing freak. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure this wasn't a dream. At some point his trench coat slipped off. His arms wrapped around her waist, and she grabbed fistfuls of his hair to pull him closer. Jesus, she was high off of him. He was a drug, and she was addicted. She couldn't help herself when she grabbed his hips and pulled him closer. He smiled against her lips, just making her want more. She climbed on top of him and straddled him, pushing him onto his back. His hands slowly made their way under her shirt and up her back, sending shivers down her spine. He went back down, and slowly eased them hem of her shirt up and off her head. He then began to kiss down her neck, each kiss causing a sharp inhale from Veronica. When he reached her collarbone, he hesitantly scraped his teeth down it. She let out a small moan. It was the single most erotic thing JD had ever heard. He knew he had to take this somewhere else, or else his father would find him. He maneuvered his way out from underneath her, and he carried her to his room bridal style, then laid her down onto the bed.

"JD." She whispered breathlessly.

"Yes darling?"

"Please." She whined, and he knew what she wanted. He pulled his shirt off. He pulled her into a hard, passionate kiss and unclasped her bra, throwing it off the bed. She grabbed his belt with such force and unclasped it with ease. He lowered his pants as slowly as he could, and she moaned. She wanted him so badly, He was torturing her. She couldn't live without him. Right now. She roughly pulled down his boxers, and the rest was history.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, do I'm keeping this in 3rd person, but a short ways through I'm switching back to 1st person, because apparently I can only write love scenes in 3rd person! Shit get's real in this chapter, so I hope your ready! I also want to extend a huge thanks to my friend for editing all of this and improving it!**

When he woke up that morning, there she was, cuddled into him. He smiled the biggest smile he had in a long, long time. Something within him had changed last night. A feeling had bloomed in his chest, but he wasn't able to pin it down until now. Love. It was love. Love for this girl that had just walked into his life. He didn't understand how that was possible, but it was true. He loved her with all his heart, and he would do anything within his power to protect her. For a while, he just stared at her, taking her in again. Her dark hair was frizzed up and lay in uneven waves on his sheet. How had he been so lucky? His eyes locked on her lips, and he couldn't stop himself from kissing her awake.

"Mmm" She smiled tiredly into his lips. And then, as if someone had flipped a switch inside her, she shot straight up. "Shit!" She exclaimed as she realized what was happening. She'd forgotten about the hourglass! It could be running down, someone could already be dead! How had she let herself forget?

A look of confusion and concern crossed JD's face. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, afraid it was because of him, afraid that she regretted last night. She turned toward him, and looked into his concerned eyes, sensing his fear.

"Oh no, JD it's not because of you. Last night was… last night was magical. Thank you." His heart lit up when she said those words. "I-I just have a lot on my mind, the Heathers, school, everything." He nodded, and you could tell the mention of the Heathers irked him.

"You're not going to apologize are you?" He asked a bit angrily. She thought for a moment, and then decided it was to risky to go to Heather's.

"No. I meant every word I said last night, and they don't deserve an apology." He sighed a sigh of relief that she wasn't going back to those bitches. He happily kissed her and she melted. God, last night, last night really had been magical. She lost herself into him again and pulled him close. She wanted to continue, but knew she had to go. The hourglass. She needed answers. She slowly pulled away and said, "JD, I have to go." He pouted, and it was so adorable that she almost gave in and stayed. "My parents will be wondering where I am, I missed curfew last night." JD sat up with the realization that his father might be home.

"You're right. My Dad should be home by now, and I don't feel like explaining why I have a naked girl in my room." He smirked, knowing that would make her blush.

"Shut up!" She playfully punched him in the arm and then got up and got dressed. Jesus, he had sex hair, and it was one of the hottest things she had ever seen. Once she was dressed, she pulled him into one more kiss, before slipping out his window.

 **A/N: I'm going to go back into first person, Veronica's point of view *shrugs awkwardly***

I spend my walk home contemplating what to do. First I had to check the hourglass. Didn't time say something about being able to summon them through it? I decided it was time to get some answers, and figure this whole mess out once and for all.

When I opened the door, my frazzled Mother came running,

"Veronica! Where have you been?! We've been worried sick!" She exclaimed. Judging by the fact that my dad was sleeping on the couch behind her, her father wasn't too worried.

"I'm so sorry Mom! I decided to spend the nights at Heather's, and I must've fallen asleep before I could text you!" I tried to put on my best apology face. The anger melted off her face and then quickly returned.

"Never do that again!" She said flustered and then turned around, letting me go upstairs. I practically ran to my room and unzipped my backpack, dug around until I felt something smooth and glasslike. I pulled it out, afraid of what I might see. Shit! There was only a quarter of the sand left on top. I had to summon time, and I had to summon time now. I tried tapping the hourglass. Nothing happened. I wrapped my hands around it, and I got the same result. Frustrated, I shook the hourglass and a huge chunk of sand fell through.

"Shit!"

"Yeah, um, maybe you shouldn't shake the death timer." An all too familiar voice said from behind me. I whipped around.

"Time."

"Yes, I'm here. Why exactly, have you summoned me?" Time said, scanning my room over.

"I want answers."

"What kind of answers?"

"When is the death? Today? Tomorrow? Who will it be? How am I supposed to prevent it?" I blurt out hurriedly.

"My dear, I cannot tell you the answers to those questions." Time replied calmly.

"More like you _won't_ tell me the answers! You like watching me suffer! If I'm your favorite human then give me a little help!" I shouted, quieting when I remembered my parents downstairs. Time frowned, looking displeased.

"I told you, I will not interfere. This is your one extra chance, use it wisely. Don't waste what little time you have asking me questions you know I will not answer," Time said calmly, and then disappeared in a flash of light. I felt my anger rising. Goddamnit! That was no help at all. And the sand continues to fall through the hourglass, there's not much time left. I need to check on my friends. I grab my phone and dial JD's number, I have it memorized by heart.

"Hello?" He said.

"JD." You could almost hear him smirking though the phone.

"Veronica? Back so soon? Wait, how'd you get my number?" He asked confused.

"Listen JD, just answer me this. Are you okay? What are you doing right now?"

"Um, I'm fine. I'm just reading my book. What's the matter, you sound upset?" He was even more confused now.

"Okay, just keep reading, don't do anything else okay?"

"Wha-" I cut him off by hanging up on him, and dial Heather's number.

"Here to apologize?" Heather C. says in that tone of hers, "Hope you brought kneepads bitch!"

"Heather, just listen to me. Are you okay, McNamara and Duke too?"

"What? We're doing perfectly fine now that you're not here!" She snapped. She went to say something, but I hung up. She tried to call me back, but I pressed decline. I looked at the hourglass. The sand was going fast. I didn't have much time. I dial Ram's number.

"Yhullo?" He answered, sounding hungover.

"Ram, It's Veronica. Are you and Kurt doing okay?"

"Yeah, we're hella chill bro. Hungover but nothing else." I knew that was all I was going to get from him now and said,

"Okay, bye." then hung up. I glanced at the hourglass, and only a smidge of sand was left. I had one person to go. Martha. I dialed her number as quickly as I could, and the phone rang. Nervously, I sat and waited. It rang again, and just at the phone went to voicemail, the last grain of sand fell through.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Alright, so this chapter's kinda short but I passed 1,000 words? I apologize if JD is OOC, I feel like part of what made him the way he was was the first murder, and it's hard to portray him as mentally unstable when I can't provide his thoughts.**

Oh my God, Martha! No! The phone rang, and without thinking I picked it up. A worried JD answered me,

"Veronica, seriously, are you alright?"

"No! Martha she- and- I forgot about the forgery!" I started to sob.

"Veronica! I can't understand you. Martha? Forgery?"

"I was supposed to keep all of you safe, and now I've ruined it! She-she-" I sputter out between sobs.

"Listen to me, stay where you are. I'm coming." He says and hangs up. I sit on the floor, the only sound my sobs. How could I forget? Ram's party was the day they would humiliate Martha with the pinata, and without me there to stop them, their plan would work. After about five minutes of despair, I hear a knock on my window. JD has climbed the tree to my window and is peering in, concerned. I walk over and open it, letting him slide in. The second he's stable I wrap my arms around him. We fall to our knees, or rather, I pull him to his knees. For a while I just cling to him, sobbing. He gently pets my hair, waiting until I can talk. Once my breathing slows, he puts his hands on my shoulders and pushes me back gently.

"Veronica? Are you alright?" I wipe my nose on my sleeve.

"I-I, JD I have something I need to tell you, but you're not going to believe me." A look of confusion crosses his face. "This is going to sound crazy, but I-" I grab the hourglass which has now reset completely. I don't know why, but I'm sure Time will tell me soon enough. "The day that I ran into you, someone appeared to me. They gave me this hourglass, saying it would count down to one of my friend's deaths, and that I would have to prevent it. They told me they were Time, that they wanted me to-" I considered telling him about my "second chance" but I figured that letting him know he got away with three murders would not end well. "Fix things. I- the hourglass just ran out, and I can't get ahold of my friend Martha." He looks astounded. Slowly he grabs the hourglass, turning it over in his hands, and says,

"Veronica… that's not possible. If someone gave you this, they were messing with you. I'm sure you're friend Martha is okay. Time isn't a person, Time is a concept." He said, shocked that I would fall for something like that. If only this was a practical joke.

"JD, I'm worried about her. She didn't pick up my call." He nodded his head.

"Do you want me to drive you to her place?" He asks quietly. I nod my head, and he climbs out the window. I go downstairs, tell my Mom I'm going to Martha's and head out the door.

I give him her address, but other then that we are silent. There's a million thoughts flying around in my brain, each one fighting for my attention. When we arrive at her house, there's a police car parked in the driveway. That's not a good sign. I open the door and run to where Martha's mother is talking with a police officer, on the verge of tears.

"I'm so sorry ma'am. She was long gone when we got to the site." I overheard the police officer say as JD came up behind me, wide-eyed.

"Mrs. Dunnstock! What's going on?" I questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Martha threw herself off of a bridge last night. I don't understand. I thought she was happy!" She replied, finally letting the tears overflow.

"Oh, Mrs. Dunnstock, I'm so sorry." And with that I took off running to JD's car, slammed the passenger door open and practically threw myself in. I was right. I had wanted so badly be wrong. I curled myself into a ball and a single tear made it's way down my cheek. I looked over when JD sat down in the driver's seat, trying to process what had just happened. He looked dumbfounded. After a long period of silence, he said,

"You were right," A pause, "Holy fuck. Veronica, that hourglass, how is this even possible? Why does it exist?" I shook my head in dismay,

"I don't know. But it's reset, and my best guess is that it's counting down to another death." Still shell-shocked, he asked

"Well who's the ones with a possible death? You said your friends? Who does that count as?"

"Well, the Heathers, though they're not necessarily my friends anymore, Kurt and Ram, and-" I barely squeaked out the last one, "You." He sat back against the chair taking that in.

"Me?" He asked breathlessly.

"Yes. And I don't want to lose you. What we have here is good, and I _can't_ lose you." _Not again._

"Veronica, I can protect myself, don't worry about me." I started to tear up again,

"Please JD. Stay with me, at my house. Just until this is all over. I want to be with you at all times, be able to keep you safe. I can't do that with the others, but I can for you." He thinks this over.

"My Dad will be upset, and we can't tell him the truth."

"Make up some lie. Anything. I need you with me." I practically beg.

"Ok." He looks at me from under his eyelashes. I reach across the console and pull him into a kiss, full of every feeling bouncing around in our brains, love, sadness, fear. He reciprocates, and when I put my hands in his hair he mumbles,

"God, I love you." I open my eyes and he pulls away, his cheeks going red. He didn't mean to say that. I smile and pull him into another kiss, only pulling away to say,

"I love you too." His answer is by kissing me even harder, and practically pulling me over the console. And for a few blissful minutes, our troubles don't matter anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey! I want to apologize on how long it's taken me to get around to posting this. I planned on doing it early, but something happened and I drowned my emotions in Markiplier instead. This chapter is short, but I fell like it's the right point in time for me to end it. Next chapter should be soon! I also want to thank literally everyone who has left a review, they've all been so nice! They are kinda my only motivation because I can't believe someone actually likes it. Also, I feel like I should note that I'm taking JD from Dan Domenech's interpretation rather than anyone else's becuase I feel like his JD was the least terrible person. Enjoy!**

I go in through the front door, not bothering to stop and tell my parents the news. They'll find out soon enough. When I get to my room, JD is already sitting on my bed. I walk over and sit next to him.

"What about your parents? Won't they be able to come find me?" He questions. Shit! I completely forgot about that.

"Maybe you should just come over at night. We can go somewhere else with each other during the day," I answer. He thinks this over for a moment.

"Okay" He looks afraid. I'm not sure what he's afraid of. "The hourglass…" He picks it up and turns it over in his hands, causing no effect, "When will it run out?" I shake my head.

"I have absolutely no idea." The sand is moving relatively slow right now, but any decision made can change that.

"We're you the one to reset it?" He asks.

"No, it did that by itself." He still looks skeptical about all of this.

"Ronnie, hourglasses can't reset themselves."

"Well this one can! Time reset it probably!"

"Veronica, I-I'm trying to believe you here, I really am, but it's hard." I understand where he's coming from. If the positions were swapped I would be the same way.

"I know." Is all I can muster in response. We sit in silence for a while, lost in thought. He seems to be planning something, methodically fidgeting with the hourglass. Suddenly he stands up.

"Ronnie, you know I love you, but this is bullshit. Someone is just- someone is _killing_ your friends, and they must have an identical hourglass somewhere so it's at the same time. They're tricking you, making you believe this "time" crap."

"JD-" I try to respond but he cuts me off by chucking the hourglass to the floor in frustration. As the glass shatters, the sand begins to form a puddle on the floor. I stare at it horrified.

"The hourglass doesn't matter. It's not real." He says, leaning down and cupping my face, making me face him.

"What have you done?" I whisper. "We needed that- now- you don't understand." I start to ramble, still in shock.

"Ronnie, we're gonna figure what's going on and save your friends. I know you want me to stay here, but I can defend myself. And if I'm going to sleep here I need to grab a few things. I'll be back." He kisses me gently on the forehead and ducks out my window, leaving me to sit there alone, staring at the broken hourglass.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm weird with points of view, I apologize in advance. I guess I can't decide what POV/tense is the best way to write it. At least this chapter stays consistent! It's a 3rd person POV, but one that only knows JD's thoughts. Not sure how to label that tbh. Also, I said that this fic is strictly musicalverse, but I've decided to include Betty Finn for *coughs* reasons. I've actually never seen the movie so I apologize if I write her as OOC at any point in time. Thanks!**

Veronica. She makes him feel so many different things. Confusion, Anger, Fear, _Love_. The thought made him shiver. What was he supposed to do? Someone was murdering her friends, and she believed the killer was "Time". JD was smart enough to see through those lies though. Someone was trying to keep her off their tail. She wanted him to stay safe, but he wasn't worried about himself. He was worried about her. He had to protect her. Everyone else in this world was a piece of crap, she was the only good thing in this world. If she was taken away by one of the vermin populating it, they would pay. They would all pay. Starting with whoever was orchestrating these "suicides". He would find who it was, and he would rid the world of them. He didn't know how, but he would. He opened the front door to his house, praying that his father wasn't home. When he heard someone bumbling around in the kitchen he cursed under his breath. He tried to sneak upstairs, but he'd already been heard.

"Pops! It's nice to see you home!" His dad stumbled into the room.

"Hey Son! It's not like I'm home that often anyway, eh?" JD replied averting his eyes.

"Well Pops, I'm not home that often either now am I? Where've you been?"

"Nowhere that concerns you."

"Oh really?" Big Bud Dean moves across the room too quickly for a drunk man to run and grabs a hold of JD's collar. "Where were you, Pops?" He twists some of his shirt but JD holds his head up high. He closes his eyes, knowing what's coming next. He can hear the crack of his rib cage against the fist. His father drops him to the floor. "I thought you were smarter than that." Big Bud Dean chucks his beer can at JD's head and flops into the living room, presumably to lie down on the couch and watch old explosion tapes until he passed out. JD touches his hand to where the can hit his forehead to survey the damage. Damn! There's blood. He walks into the small bathroom and wipes his cut clean. It's not very large, his hair should be able to hide it if he positions it right. Once the bleeding stops, he goes to his room and sits on his messy sheets. It's gotta be one of the Heathers that's doing it right? They're mad cause she told them off. But… they weren't mad the day she met him so why would they give her the hourglass then? Yes, they were cruel but she really was part of them. Was there anyone else who would want to hurt her? Kurt and Ram were huge douchebags, but they weren't smart enough to set up this kind of plan. Maybe it was one of her friends from before she became a Heather. He'd seen that girl Betty sitting with Martha while she was still alive. Maybe she was mad that Veronica had left her behind. That was all he could think of for someone with a motive, so now he just needed proof it was her. How could he prove it? He could observe her from a distance, but he needed to know fast, because another murder could happen at any time. He wracked his brain for ideas, but he couldn't come up with anything. In what felt like no time at all, 2 hours had passed. Veronica would be worried, and honestly, he needed to know she was safe just as much as she needed to know he was. He stood up, grabbed his box, which contained about one outfit and a copy of the book Outsiders. He had nothing else, packing and unpacking so many things was just a waste of time. He looked in the cracked and dusty mirror and brushed his fingers through his hair in a way that nobody could see the cut. He left through the window, not wanting to risk encountering his father.

When he climbed through her window she was sitting at her desk hunched over something. She didn't even turn around at the sound of him clattering in. Nothing of the hourglass was left on the ground.

"Ronnie?" He asked tentatively while setting his box down.

"What." She didn't turn away from whatever she was working on. He looked over her shoulder. She was trying to fix the hourglass, and from all the cuts on her hands, it wasn't going to well.

"Veronica!" He exclaimed rushing over grabbing her hands to expect the damage. "What happened?" She merely looked annoyed, not taking her eyes of the glass and sand in front of her.

"Nothing. My hands are fine, it's just a few cuts. I'm working with broken glass. It's expected." Looking closer, the cuts didn't look all that deep except for one. He could see a piece of glass sticking out of it.

"Veronica, that cuts looks bad. We need to go clean it out." He inspected it even closer.

"No." She pulled her hands out of his. "I need to fix the hourglass first, we can worry about my hands later." He roughly grabbed her wrists pulling her so she was facing him.

"Veronica." God, she looked exhausted, and the hourglass looked no more together than it had on the floor. "Regardless of what you believe about the hourglass, you need to wash that cut out." After a moment she nodded her head in submission.

"Okay." He helped her stand up and led her to the bathroom. He knew he needed to get the glass out first. He searched around and found some tweezers. She sat on the edge of the bathtub.

"This is going to hurt." He said, bending down to get a closer look. Once he felt like he had the right angle, he slowly lowered the tweezers into the cut. He managed to get ahold of the glass. When he began to pull it out, she let out a hiss. As much as it pained him to see her hurt, he knew he had to keep going. Once the glass was out, he placed it gingerly on the edge of the tub, and stood Veronica up again. He brought her to the sink and put her hand under the cold water. With the blood washed away, he could get a better look at it. It didn't look bone deep, so he knew she wouldn't need serious medical attention. He grabbed the soap and softly washed the wound clean. He then grabbed some gauze and wrapped it around her hand. Still silent, he led her to her room. She was out of it at this point. He lay her down on her bed, and climbed in so he could hold her while she slept. She was so beautiful when she slept. It was different kind of beautiful that when she was passionate, a more peaceful kind of beautiful. He wanted to watch her until she woke up, but must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing you know she was shaking him awake.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey! Sorry it's been so long I got stuck in a bit of a rut. This chapter is basically a montage of fluff and things to show the passing of time. I hope I can update more frequently in the future and plan on working on the next chapter right after this is up! *banging pots and pans* PLS WRITE REVIEWS THEY ARE MY MOTIVATION!**

"JD, wake up." She shook him awake. How long had it been?

"How's your cut?" He immediately and sleepily asked, grabbing her hand and carefully looking underneath the bandage.

"It's not that bad, I'll survive." She pulled her hand away and laid back down, her head resting on his chest. "God, what are we gonna do?" She asked quietly. JD took a moment to think this over, and absentmindedly began to play with her hair. With no response, Veronica came up with her own answer. "Can we just pretend none of this is happening? I'll keep you safe, but everyone else can go fuck themselves."

"Okay." He answered.

She sat in the passenger seat slurping her slushee. She now understood the need to feel numb. He watched her with admiration. How could she be so beautiful? She hadn't noticed that he was staring, she was lost in her own little world. She turned around to see JD with a goofy grin on his face. He laughed at the way her cheeks went red when she realized he was staring.

"What's so funny?" She asked, flustered.

"You're so damn cute when you're embarrassed."

She pulled away from they're cuddling with a mischievous look in her eyes. JD's heart nearly leapt out of his chest, because Oh God, he knew that look.

"I'm bored." She said, slowly crawling on top of him. "Want to help?" JD pulled her into a slow kiss. He put his tongue at her lips asking for permission, which of course she granted.

Chemistry was a class they didn't have together. Try as she might, Veronica couldn't focus. Was he safe? Had one of the others been hurt? Was she on the hit list? Oh god, she couldn't be on the hit list, could she?

"Veronica!" Ms. Greenwald exclaimed, clearly annoyed. That snapped her out of her dark thoughts.

"Um, what was the question?"

"What happens when you combine brake fluid and chlorine?" The exasperated teacher asked.

"Uhhhh, it lights on fire, right?"

"Correct." Veronica went back to tuning out the teacher. After she once again came to the conclusion all of this was basically hopeless, class was over. As she was walking out the door,

"Veronica?" Ms. Greenwald called. She turned around.

"Yes?"

"Would you come sit across from my desk for a moment? I'll write you a pass to your next class." Veronica wanted to sprint to her next class a fast as possible to know that he was safe, but it's not like she could say no.

"Of course. What it is?" She replied as she walked over and sat.

"Your grades have been suffering recently." They have? She hadn't been looking at her grades recently, they meant little to her at this point.

"Yeah." was all she could muster in reply.

"You seem so different lately. You've become more distanced, and you're obviously not putting as much effort into your work as you usually do. I'd never expect this, especially from a good kid like you. Is something going on with you and those Heather girls?" The woman seemed genuinely concerned for her.

"No Ms. Greenwald, I'm fine. I'm a little shaken up about Martha." The teacher nodded.

"I think we all are. I just want to make sure you know you can come talk to me when something is bothering you." She gave a knowing look to Veronica.

"Can I have a pass?" She hesitantly asked.

"Of course dear." Ms. Greenwald wrote the pass and Veronica practically bolted out of the classroom.

She breathed in his smell. He smelled like cigarettes, old books, and something else she couldn't placed but loved anyway. She looked up at him and he was looking at her through his eyelashes. His green eyes were mesmerizing, the gold flecks adorning them gorgeously. Of course she'd fallen for him, who wouldn't? Her gaze fell on his messy hair. She ruffled her hand through it and laughed. He had a dreamy smile on his face, and she pulled him in for a soft, sweet kiss. She laid down onto her bed, drifting into sleep in his arms.

When she turned around to make a joke about the teacher he was looking at someone. Her gaze followed his line of sight and landed on Betty Finn. A pang of jealousy hit her before he turned to see her looking at him and his eyes lit up. She smiled.

"Sorry, she just looks so sad. I can't help imagining what he damage is." He explained thoughtfully. Now she felt guilty.

"She used to be my friend, before the Heathers. I can't believe I haven't made it right with her yet." She stood walked over. Betty turned away from her work with sad eyes, that turned hard at the sight of her.

"Oh, it's you." Betty spit out the words like they tasted bad.

"Betty listen, I'm sorry. I got caught up with the Heathers and-"

"Veronica! Get back in your seat!" The teacher scolded.

"Sorry!" She replied to the teacher and turned back to Betty. "Can we meet by your locker after school?"

"Yeah, I guess." She answered with disdain.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: 2 chapters in one day? What is this? This isn't the longest chapter but it will move the story along!**

The way Betty talked to Veronica solidified his suspicions. It was her. Betty was the one causing Veronica to suffer, and anyone who hurt Veronica would die. He was glad he'd brought his gun today.

"JD, I'm gonna grab some stuff from my car. Wait here, okay?"

"Okay." He stood there until she was out of sight and then went around the corner. Nobody else was around, it was perfect. He pulled out his gun and made sure it was loaded and ready. With an ominous click JD turned the safety off. He heard footsteps going to one of the lockers. He watched around the corner as Betty put her books in the locker. When she had her back facing the other way, looking for Veronica, he whipped around the corner and took aim. It was a perfect shot. He began to pull the trigger, but someone grabbed his arm and whipped around before he could. The gun was wrench from his hands.

"JD! What the FUCK?!" Veronica whisper-yelled, completely horrified. She couldn't let him kill anyone… that would end up very badly. "Stop it! I shouldn't have left you alone I-GOD I'm so fucking stupid." She dropped the gun and it clattered to the ground. She grabbed onto him and held him as tight as she could. This wasn't what he expected, but he slowly wrapped his arms around her. She was sobbing into his chest, and it was like she couldn't breathe. Her lungs never got enough air and she couldn't form words. For a long time they just stood there, her crying and him holding her.

When she had finally gained enough control to speak she said, "God, I should have known you were planning something. It's not like you to do nothing. I just wanted it to work so badly."

"Veronica, it's her. Betty is _murdering_ your friends. The way she talked to you proves it." He softly tried to explain.

"Just because she's mad doesn't mean she wants to kill anybody! I should have just told you everything from the start." Told him everything? What did she mean by told him everything? Was she keeping something from him?

"What?" He asked confused.

"JD… this is going to sound even crazier but I need you to believe me. I've lived these days once before. But things went terribly wrong and everyone ended up hurt or dead. On the last day you- I broke up with you." What? She couldn't break up with him. He would fall apart! He inhaled sharply. "And things went even worse from there. You ended up- killing yourself." A single tear made it's way down her cheek.

"You broke up with me? And I killed myself?" All she could do was physically pained him to say the next words, "Veronica," His voice cracked. "If the only reason you're here is to keep me from… from doing _that_ you don't have to. Your happiness is more important than mine, I can try and sur-" She cut him off with a kiss. She tasted salty from her tears.

"But I don't want to leave." He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I want to be with you. Things got bad, really bad and I couldn't handle it anymore so I tried to end it. And-" She choked back a sob, "Then you died and it was all my fault. I could've stopped you- I was there. But I froze up and-" A strangled noise came from her.

"Veronica… it couldn't have been your fault. I was the one who messed up. If things got that bad, it was me that caused it. I'm damaged, things could have gone very badly very quickly." Seemingly without hearing him, she continued on.

"I cried myself to sleep that night. And when I woke up it was September 1st again. I went into the bathroom to try to figure out what was going on and I ran into you. Out came this being that told me it was Time. They said that they liked me and wanted to give me a chance to make things right. The hourglass was real, it really showed the time of the deaths. And I have to make it right. God knows what I'll do if I lose you again." She bawled and clutched him even closer, not wanting to ever let go. JD was stunned. She seemed so sincere. Maybe, just maybe, she was telling the truth.

"Please don't hurt anyone JD. That could have been the next death. It was stupid of me not to guess that Betty was on the list. I just want to live my life with you." She sounded so broken.

"Alright Ronnie. I won't hurt anybody." He held her, making sure that nobody could hurt her again. Including himself.


End file.
